Swear Not at All by Jerusalem the City of the Great King

Alan C. Miner

In his Sermon at on the Mount, Jesus declares, "swear not at all; neither by heaven, for it is God's throne; Nor by the earth, for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King. . . ." (Matthew 5:34-35). According to John Welch, in the Book of Mormon Sermon at the Temple, there is no mention of Jerusalem. Of course, no Nephite would be inclined to swear "by Jerusalem, . . . the city of the great king" (Matthew 5:35), since the Nephite view of Jerusalem was rather grim. But more than that, omitting this phrase may be closer to what Jesus originally said in Palestine as well. [John W. Welch, The Sermon at the Temple and the Sermon on the Mount, F.A.R.M.S., p. 97]

Step by Step Through the Book of Mormon: A Cultural Commentary

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